PARIS — Rafael Nadal defeated fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro,7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-3, yesterday to move to the French Open semifinals, two wins away from a record seventh title on the red clay of Paris.

The second-seeded Nadal hasn’t lost a set through his first five matches this year. Against the 12th-seeded Almagro, he faced four break points but saved them all. He improved to 50-1 lifetime at Roland Garros, with the only loss coming to Robin Soderling in 2009.

“I was just trying to wait for my moments,” Nadal said. “He had some good moments and he was hitting the ball hard, but I had my chances, too.”

Nadal’s next match will be against sixth-seeded David Ferrer, who defeated No. 4 seed Andy Murray 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-2 to move to his first French Open semifinal.

Ferrer’s last semifinal appearance at a Grand Slam came at the 2011 Australian Open, where he defeated Nadal in the quarterfinals.